James Bond has remained a fan-favorite franchise through the decades, surviving not only the Cold War era by preying on the ideas of Russian espionage and imminent nuclear war but also adapting to the modern world by reflecting the ways of the 21st-century spycraft through Daniel Craig’s 007. However, the IP always seemed to get one thing wrong regarding its ambitious plots – the necessity of finding relevance in the story.
Pierce Brosnan as James Bond in Tomorrow Never Dies [Credit: Universal Pictures/Eon Productions]Despite the overarching missions and over-the-top villains, the spy franchise never failed to keep the audience thoroughly entertained throughout its runtime. But without a change in trajectory, Bond would have fallen victim to the age-old disease of mass disinterest incurred due to the repetition of a formulaic plot.
One writer, however, had an idea for a script that could have introduced a Bond film unlike any ever done before.
Pierce Brosnan as James Bond in Tomorrow Never Dies [Credit: Universal Pictures/Eon Productions]Despite the overarching missions and over-the-top villains, the spy franchise never failed to keep the audience thoroughly entertained throughout its runtime. But without a change in trajectory, Bond would have fallen victim to the age-old disease of mass disinterest incurred due to the repetition of a formulaic plot.
One writer, however, had an idea for a script that could have introduced a Bond film unlike any ever done before.
- 6/7/2024
- by Diya Majumdar
- FandomWire
What’s the connection between “Late Night with the Devil” and a real-life secret society? ( Photo Credit – IMDb )
Caution: spoilers ahead. Additionally, please take the content of this article with a grain of salt, as it essentially incorporates conspiracy theories. While some elements may be grounded in reality, they are heavily intertwined with conjecture. Avoid accepting anything stated here at face value.
“Late Night with the Devil,” the hit horror film that debuted at SXSW 2023, continues to dominate streaming platforms, earning praise and shattering records. Audiences are enthralled by its eerie depiction of a 1970s late-night talk show spiraling into darkness.
Set in the late 1970s, David Dastmalchian plays the host of a fictional show called “Night Owls.” In the movie, his character, Jack Delroy, gets tangled up with a secretive society and makes a deal with them for success using occult means. Even though the movie is made up,...
Caution: spoilers ahead. Additionally, please take the content of this article with a grain of salt, as it essentially incorporates conspiracy theories. While some elements may be grounded in reality, they are heavily intertwined with conjecture. Avoid accepting anything stated here at face value.
“Late Night with the Devil,” the hit horror film that debuted at SXSW 2023, continues to dominate streaming platforms, earning praise and shattering records. Audiences are enthralled by its eerie depiction of a 1970s late-night talk show spiraling into darkness.
Set in the late 1970s, David Dastmalchian plays the host of a fictional show called “Night Owls.” In the movie, his character, Jack Delroy, gets tangled up with a secretive society and makes a deal with them for success using occult means. Even though the movie is made up,...
- 5/15/2024
- by Hari P N
- KoiMoi
More essays have been written about "Citizen Kane" than any other movie (with the possible exceptions of "The Wizard of Oz" and "Star Wars"), so it feels churlish to recount the plot here, but for the uninitiated, however, here's a brief rundown:
A vicious newspaper tycoon named Charles Foster Kane (Welles) has died in bed, locked deep in his massive, palatial mansion. He clutched a snow globe in his hand in his final moments, moved by the sight of the swirling faux weather inside. He enigmatically whispers the word "Rosebud" before perishing. The film then shifts focus to a reporter (William Alland) who spends the film interviewing Kane's associates, wives, and lovers, hoping to get a full portrait of the man. He finds that Kane was a cad ruined by wealth and power. He finds that Kane was possessed of a deep and abiding unhappiness, likely spurred by having to...
A vicious newspaper tycoon named Charles Foster Kane (Welles) has died in bed, locked deep in his massive, palatial mansion. He clutched a snow globe in his hand in his final moments, moved by the sight of the swirling faux weather inside. He enigmatically whispers the word "Rosebud" before perishing. The film then shifts focus to a reporter (William Alland) who spends the film interviewing Kane's associates, wives, and lovers, hoping to get a full portrait of the man. He finds that Kane was a cad ruined by wealth and power. He finds that Kane was possessed of a deep and abiding unhappiness, likely spurred by having to...
- 5/5/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
After making what many people cite as the greatest film ever made, “Citizen Kane” (1941), multi-talented actor, writer, director and producer Orson Welles struggled to live up to the success he achieved when he was just 26 years old. Yet seen today, many of the films he made afterwards have attained a similar acclaim. Let’s take a look back at all 13 of his completed feature films as a director, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1915, Welles first came to prominence as a stage director, mounting groundbreaking productions of “Macbeth,” “Dr. Faustus,” and “The Cradle Will Rock” before forming his own repertory company, The Mercury Theater. In addition to Welles, the Mercury Theater Players included Joseph Cotten, Ray Collins, Agnes Moorhead, Everett Sloane, George Coulouris, Norman Lloyd, Martin Gabel and Paul Stewart, many of whom would go onto appear in the director’s films.
It was the Mercury Theater’s transition into...
Born in 1915, Welles first came to prominence as a stage director, mounting groundbreaking productions of “Macbeth,” “Dr. Faustus,” and “The Cradle Will Rock” before forming his own repertory company, The Mercury Theater. In addition to Welles, the Mercury Theater Players included Joseph Cotten, Ray Collins, Agnes Moorhead, Everett Sloane, George Coulouris, Norman Lloyd, Martin Gabel and Paul Stewart, many of whom would go onto appear in the director’s films.
It was the Mercury Theater’s transition into...
- 5/4/2024
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
“More stars than there are in heaven” was once the slogan for Hollywood’s largest studio. Larger-than-life celebrities like Judy Garland, Clark Gable, Fred Astaire, Katharine Hepburn, Jean Harlow and Gene Kelly were common fixtures at MGM. Today, MGM is an IP outpost purchased by Amazon for $8.5 billion in 2022, but in its day, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had the biggest lot in Hollywood and produced some of the most extravagant films. Located in Culver City, MGM’s famously sprawling lot began as it grew from the 40 acres owned by Samuel Goldwyn. The legendary MGM property was 3 miles long and housed more than 45 buildings and 14 stages, in addition to numerous outdoor sets that would be built over the years.
MGM was home to countless classic films, and in 1939 alone, the studio backed the timeless fantasy The Wizard of Oz and distributed the Oscar-winning Gone With the Wind, the Ernst Lubitsch/Greta Garbo comedy Ninotchka,...
MGM was home to countless classic films, and in 1939 alone, the studio backed the timeless fantasy The Wizard of Oz and distributed the Oscar-winning Gone With the Wind, the Ernst Lubitsch/Greta Garbo comedy Ninotchka,...
- 4/29/2024
- by Chris Yogerst
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Now this was something different. As luxury brands jockey to outdo one another creatively to throw spectacular launch events and parties, Tiffany & Co. outdid itself on Thursday night with a bash at one of the most historic mansions in Los Angeles.
For its Tiffany & Co. Blue Book 2024 Céleste collection cocktail party and dinner — attended by Anya Taylor-Joy, Usher, Gal Gadot, Reese Witherspoon, Emily Blunt, Quinta Brunson, Olivia Wilde and a constellation of other stars — the jewelry and design house took over the famed Beverly Estate in Beverly Hills. Known for its appearances in such films as The Godfather, The Jerk and The Bodyguard, the Mediterranean-style mansion was built in 1926 by architect Gordon Kaufman.
Ring in platinum and 18-karat yellow gold with blue zircons of more than 9 total carats, aquamarines of more than 16 total carats, mother-of-pearl and diamonds from the new Tiffany & Co. Blue Book 2024: Tiffany Celeste collection.
The...
For its Tiffany & Co. Blue Book 2024 Céleste collection cocktail party and dinner — attended by Anya Taylor-Joy, Usher, Gal Gadot, Reese Witherspoon, Emily Blunt, Quinta Brunson, Olivia Wilde and a constellation of other stars — the jewelry and design house took over the famed Beverly Estate in Beverly Hills. Known for its appearances in such films as The Godfather, The Jerk and The Bodyguard, the Mediterranean-style mansion was built in 1926 by architect Gordon Kaufman.
Ring in platinum and 18-karat yellow gold with blue zircons of more than 9 total carats, aquamarines of more than 16 total carats, mother-of-pearl and diamonds from the new Tiffany & Co. Blue Book 2024: Tiffany Celeste collection.
The...
- 4/26/2024
- by Degen Pener and Laurie Brookins
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Step aside, William Randolph Hearst: Eric Church and Morgan Wallen are getting into the publishing game. The country singers purchased Field & Stream magazine and will relaunch the outdoorsy brand as a print magazine, website, and apparel company alongside plans for a live music festival.
Subscribers to the new “Field & Stream 1871 Club” can choose from three tiers ranging from $15 to $95 annually that each provide online access to new stories about hunting, fishing, and the outdoors, and the F&s archives. Members who purchase the two top tiers will receive the Field & Stream print magazine,...
Subscribers to the new “Field & Stream 1871 Club” can choose from three tiers ranging from $15 to $95 annually that each provide online access to new stories about hunting, fishing, and the outdoors, and the F&s archives. Members who purchase the two top tiers will receive the Field & Stream print magazine,...
- 1/25/2024
- by Joseph Hudak
- Rollingstone.com
In the early 1940s, a young Lena Horne began an engagement at an intimate L.A. club called Little Troc, where her silken voice — with her perfect enunciation and her sophisticated interpretation of the lyrics — dazzled the likes of Marlene Dietrich, Cole Porter, Lana Turner and Greta Garbo. Among the many eyes that observed her during her run were those of the astute, sensitive Roger Edens, who was an integral member of the Freed Unit at MGM Studios. Led by innovative producer Arthur Freed, the unit consisted of musical artists who created many of MGM’s great musicals from the golden age: It had recently produced Babes in Arms (1939) and would strike gold with An American in Paris (1951), Singin’ in the Rain (1952) and Gigi (1958).
Within the Freed Unit, Edens stood out as a highly respected composer, arranger and associate producer who eventually won three Academy Awards. After seeing Lena perform,...
Within the Freed Unit, Edens stood out as a highly respected composer, arranger and associate producer who eventually won three Academy Awards. After seeing Lena perform,...
- 10/12/2023
- by Donald Bogle
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
To state a very true, indisputable thing right up front: Pierce Brosnan is the best James Bond (in my opinion). What's more, Martin Campbell's 1995 entry "GoldenEye" is one of the three best of all the James Bond movies, and Roger Spottiswoode's 1997 film "Tomorrow Never Dies" is nothing to sneeze at. Indeed, watching "Tomorrow Never Died" in 2023 posits an eerily accurate trajectory of the future computer technology, and its Steve Jobs-like villain Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce) easily predicts the culture of I'm-always-right tech-bros we currently find ourselves mired in.
Briefly, the villain in "Tomorrow Never Dies" seeks to digitally control the flow of information, making him a soft-spoken, cyber-jacked version of William Randolph Hearst. He aims to start a war between China and England, hoping to secure broadcasting rights in China for the rest of his life. In 1997, such a plot seemed both hopelessly nerdy and legitimately terrifying.
Briefly, the villain in "Tomorrow Never Dies" seeks to digitally control the flow of information, making him a soft-spoken, cyber-jacked version of William Randolph Hearst. He aims to start a war between China and England, hoping to secure broadcasting rights in China for the rest of his life. In 1997, such a plot seemed both hopelessly nerdy and legitimately terrifying.
- 10/7/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Medusa Deluxe is a genre-bending movie written and directed by Thomas Hardiman. The A24 film shows us a murder mystery set in a competitive hairdressing contest. Medusa Deluxe is a very visual film with some brilliant performances by Clare Perkins, Anita-Joy Uwajeh, Kayla Meikle, Kae Alexander, and Harriet Webb. So, if you loved Medusa Deluxe here are some similar movies you should check out next.
Clue (Prime Video & MGM+) Credit – Paramount Pictures
Synopsis: Here is the murderously funny movie based on the world-famous Clue board game. Was it Colonel Mustard in the study with a gun? Miss Scarlet in the billiard room with the rope? Or was it Wadsworth the butler? Meet all the notorious suspects and discover all their foul play things. You’ll love their dastardly doings as the bodies and the laughs pile up before your eyes.
The Cat’s Meow (Prime Video) Credit – Lions Gate Films
Synopsis:...
Clue (Prime Video & MGM+) Credit – Paramount Pictures
Synopsis: Here is the murderously funny movie based on the world-famous Clue board game. Was it Colonel Mustard in the study with a gun? Miss Scarlet in the billiard room with the rope? Or was it Wadsworth the butler? Meet all the notorious suspects and discover all their foul play things. You’ll love their dastardly doings as the bodies and the laughs pile up before your eyes.
The Cat’s Meow (Prime Video) Credit – Lions Gate Films
Synopsis:...
- 8/23/2023
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
The Empire Strikes Back Screenshot: 20th Century Fox We’re over halfway through 2023 and there are already three major blockbusters with cliffhanger endings. First came Fast X, the 10th installment of the Fast And Furious franchise and the first half of the main series’ 11th and final film, which is...
- 7/16/2023
- by Robert DeSalvo
- avclub.com
Clockwise from top left: Black Adam (Warner Bros.), The Silence Of The Lambs (Orion Pictures), Star Wars: Episode V–The Empire Strikes Back. (20th Century Fox), Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One (Paramount)
We’re over halfway through 2023 and there are already three major blockbusters with cliffhanger endings. First came Fast X,...
We’re over halfway through 2023 and there are already three major blockbusters with cliffhanger endings. First came Fast X,...
- 7/16/2023
- by Robert DeSalvo
- avclub.com
The fictional Roy family of "Succession" is often compared to the real-life Murdoch media dynasty, which owns the conglomerate News Corp and the Fox brand. The parallels are far from coincidental. About a decade before "Succession" premiered, series creator Jesse Armstrong wrote a feature script, "The Murdochs," about the eponymous family. The script was never produced -- contemporary reporting at Forbes by Jeff Bercovici suggests this is because no backers were willing to fund such controversial subject matter and risk angering the Murdochs.
There's precedence. In 1941, William Randolph Hearst made it his mission to bury "Citizen Kane" because he was convinced the film was an attack on him. It's easy to imagine Murdoch, a modern-day media baron of Hearst's same stature, doing the same to a film that aired his family's dirty laundry.
This might also be why Armstrong has downplayed the connection between his show and the Murdochs. However,...
There's precedence. In 1941, William Randolph Hearst made it his mission to bury "Citizen Kane" because he was convinced the film was an attack on him. It's easy to imagine Murdoch, a modern-day media baron of Hearst's same stature, doing the same to a film that aired his family's dirty laundry.
This might also be why Armstrong has downplayed the connection between his show and the Murdochs. However,...
- 5/28/2023
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
The following article contains spoilers for season 4, episode 8 of "Succession."
Atn has always been one of the jewels in the Waystar Royco crown, but we haven't spent much time getting to see how it operates on a day-to-day basis. Sure, Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) has been the head of Atn for quite a while, but other than potentially being a fall guy for the Roys, the role didn't seem to give Tom much to do. That all changed in "America Decides," in which the election storyline that's been building slowly over the series finally comes to its potentially disastrous conclusion. It's the night of the election and there are three candidates: Democrat and front-runner Daniel Jiménez (Elliot Villar), far-right Republican Jeryd Mencken (Justin Kirk), and Independent idiot Connor Roy (Alan Ruck).
Atn stands for American Television Network, and it's the "Succession" world's version of CNN or, more aptly, Fox News,...
Atn has always been one of the jewels in the Waystar Royco crown, but we haven't spent much time getting to see how it operates on a day-to-day basis. Sure, Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) has been the head of Atn for quite a while, but other than potentially being a fall guy for the Roys, the role didn't seem to give Tom much to do. That all changed in "America Decides," in which the election storyline that's been building slowly over the series finally comes to its potentially disastrous conclusion. It's the night of the election and there are three candidates: Democrat and front-runner Daniel Jiménez (Elliot Villar), far-right Republican Jeryd Mencken (Justin Kirk), and Independent idiot Connor Roy (Alan Ruck).
Atn stands for American Television Network, and it's the "Succession" world's version of CNN or, more aptly, Fox News,...
- 5/15/2023
- by Danielle Ryan
- Slash Film
This post contains spoilers for "Succession."
When Jesse Armstrong announced in a 2023 New Yorker interview that his hit HBO show "Succession" was coming to an end with its upcoming fourth season, fans were shocked. The show had reached not just a dramatic peak in its third season, in which elderly media mogul Logan Roy (Brian Cox) made the first steps to sell his Waystar Royco empire and cut his children out, but a peak in popularity and impact as well, having earned its highest ratings yet during the season 3 finale. For a tragic media satire with such seemingly specific appeal, its fanbase skews broad, sparking both analysis of its thematic richness and shipping videos set to Taylor Swift.
Still, as Armstrong told the New Yorker, "There's a promise in the title of 'Succession.'" With a show designed around the broad idea of a King Lear-type ceding control...
When Jesse Armstrong announced in a 2023 New Yorker interview that his hit HBO show "Succession" was coming to an end with its upcoming fourth season, fans were shocked. The show had reached not just a dramatic peak in its third season, in which elderly media mogul Logan Roy (Brian Cox) made the first steps to sell his Waystar Royco empire and cut his children out, but a peak in popularity and impact as well, having earned its highest ratings yet during the season 3 finale. For a tragic media satire with such seemingly specific appeal, its fanbase skews broad, sparking both analysis of its thematic richness and shipping videos set to Taylor Swift.
Still, as Armstrong told the New Yorker, "There's a promise in the title of 'Succession.'" With a show designed around the broad idea of a King Lear-type ceding control...
- 5/13/2023
- by Anthony Crislip
- Slash Film
March is Women’s History Month which commemorates and encourages the “study, observance and celebration of the vital role of women in American history.” And who better to study, observe and celebrate than Mae West and her place in movie history.
Talk about pushing the envelope. West wrote plays-usually revolving around sex-which landed her in jail. She never met an innuendo she didn’t like. West film comedies were popular and controversial. She was banned from NBC Radio-her name couldn’t even be mentioned-for over a decade. West even guest starred on a 1964 episode of CBS’ “Mr. Ed.” West has inspired several female performers over the decades including Madonna and remained true to herself up until her death in 1980 at the age of 87.
West didn’t look at any other actress of the day. Sources say she was 5’ to 5’ 2” (rumor is that she wore eight-inch platform heels on stage...
Talk about pushing the envelope. West wrote plays-usually revolving around sex-which landed her in jail. She never met an innuendo she didn’t like. West film comedies were popular and controversial. She was banned from NBC Radio-her name couldn’t even be mentioned-for over a decade. West even guest starred on a 1964 episode of CBS’ “Mr. Ed.” West has inspired several female performers over the decades including Madonna and remained true to herself up until her death in 1980 at the age of 87.
West didn’t look at any other actress of the day. Sources say she was 5’ to 5’ 2” (rumor is that she wore eight-inch platform heels on stage...
- 3/29/2023
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
On a recent episode of the "Fly on the Wall" podcast, comedian Chris Rock talked about watching the Safdie brothers' film "Uncut Gems" and being incredibly impressed by Adam Sandler's performance. Rock was also made incredibly melancholy, however, as he immediately began to think of the later actor/comedian Chris Farley. Rock felt that, had Farley survived, he would have eventually had the opportunity to reveal his own dramatic acting chops, something Farley was never able to display in his film career prior. Rock and Farley both began performing on "Saturday Night Live" in 1990, and they both rose to fame rapidly. Farley, however, wrestled with addiction and health problems for many years, and died of an overdose in 1997. He was 33.
Farley's death hit the world of comedy hard, and many of his friends and co-workers have come out over the years to say what a kind, shy, decent guy Farley was.
Farley's death hit the world of comedy hard, and many of his friends and co-workers have come out over the years to say what a kind, shy, decent guy Farley was.
- 3/18/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
In the new taut new thriller “Sharper” that debuted in theaters Friday in advance of hitting the streaming market February 17 over Apple TV+, John Lithgow has a relatively small supporting role as a hedge fund billionaire named Richard Hobbes. For those who follow the extraordinary Lithgow’s multi-faceted career, the portrayal isn’t really anything terribly unique, aside from the fact he makes it memorable by his sheer talent, charisma and presence. It’s the sort of everyday brilliance we’ve come to expect from an actor who has been doing this for more than half a century and shows no signs at 77 of slowing down.
Lithgow is so consistently superb that we’ve gotten spoiled, but he’s the kind of national treasure that should start collecting lifetime achievement awards in the near future. That doesn’t mean he’s poised to pack it in and call it a career.
Lithgow is so consistently superb that we’ve gotten spoiled, but he’s the kind of national treasure that should start collecting lifetime achievement awards in the near future. That doesn’t mean he’s poised to pack it in and call it a career.
- 2/11/2023
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
Orson Welles was just 26 when he wrote, produced, directed, and starred in "Citizen Kane." The 1941 film revolutionized the young industry. It boldly broke from the traditional linear storytelling pattern with a non-linear narrative told from several perspectives. Welles and cinematographer Gregg Toland introduced new cinematography techniques still used in modern filmmaking. Welles perfected the use of the montage, telling the complex life story of protagonist Charles Foster Kane in just under two hours. Welles broke established cinematic rules beginning with the film's opening moments.
The character Charles Foster Kane is loosely based on media magnate and yellow journalism originator William Randolph Hearst. But "Citizen Kane" might also have been a prophetic story of Orson Welles' own life. After multiple marriages, reclusive periods in his life, and struggles with weight as he aged left many to draw comparisons to his own creation, Charles Foster Kane.
The man that began his film...
The character Charles Foster Kane is loosely based on media magnate and yellow journalism originator William Randolph Hearst. But "Citizen Kane" might also have been a prophetic story of Orson Welles' own life. After multiple marriages, reclusive periods in his life, and struggles with weight as he aged left many to draw comparisons to his own creation, Charles Foster Kane.
The man that began his film...
- 2/9/2023
- by Travis Yates
- Slash Film
Orson Welles directed Citizen Kane in 1941. This film features Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten
Citizen Kane is one of those landmark movies in the History of Cinema because of the melancholic overtunes and the rivers of ink (which weren´t so necessary) that the movie caused for reasons we will explain below even though it is too evident to me to explain them again.
Story line
The life of the press mogul Charles Foster Kane, based on the figure of W.R. Hearst.
The Stoty with Hearst Citizen Kane (1941)
For many years it was considered to be the best movie in the History of Movies, for other things besides its merits, which are brutal too. Indeed: This is not even the best movie of its director but the gamble was perfect with the use of the marketing strategy.
The film is created after Welles created a sensation with the broadcasting...
Citizen Kane is one of those landmark movies in the History of Cinema because of the melancholic overtunes and the rivers of ink (which weren´t so necessary) that the movie caused for reasons we will explain below even though it is too evident to me to explain them again.
Story line
The life of the press mogul Charles Foster Kane, based on the figure of W.R. Hearst.
The Stoty with Hearst Citizen Kane (1941)
For many years it was considered to be the best movie in the History of Movies, for other things besides its merits, which are brutal too. Indeed: This is not even the best movie of its director but the gamble was perfect with the use of the marketing strategy.
The film is created after Welles created a sensation with the broadcasting...
- 1/21/2023
- by Martin Cid
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
Two films made in 1941 led directly to the making of Cat People the following year, The Wolf Man and Citizen Kane. Kane had become a fiasco for Rko when newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst condemned the film as a thinly veiled attack against him. Ultimately it led to the ousting of studio head George Shaefer. His replacement, Charles Koerner, brought with him the motto “showmanship in place of genius.” Seeing the success of the revival of Universal’s low budget horror pictures, Koerner hired writer/producer Val Lewton to head up a new horror unit at Rko. The first assignment given to Lewton was a title meant to capitalize on the success of The Wolf Man and its ideas of a human that turns into a beast, Cat People, but Lewton gave them something far different than the studio brass expected. Rather than a sensational exploitation film aimed at the youth market,...
- 1/10/2023
- by Brian Keiper
- bloody-disgusting.com
It's unsurprising how many have compared "Babylon," director Damien Chazzelle's super-charged elegy for early Hollywood, to "Boogie Nights" and "Singin' in the Rain." In its tensions -- talent and luck, apocryphal myth-making and the lesser-known truths, moral incongruity and creative spunk, and the critique of an apathetic business that nonetheless creates empathetic works -- Chazelle's "Babylon" bears some lineage to both films.
If you only focus on those influences, however, you will miss the primary tension: The fight between identity and assimilation. These politics, as viewed through the film's protagonist, Manuel Torres (Diego Calva), position Chazelle's behemoth vision closer to "The Last Black Man in San Francisco," "Medicine for Melancholy," and "Bamboozled" as an assimilation narrative affixed to a fable.
In Joe Talbot's "The Last Black Man in San Francisco," amid a gentrifying city selling the remnants of its Black heritage to the highest bidder, Jimmie Fails (played by...
If you only focus on those influences, however, you will miss the primary tension: The fight between identity and assimilation. These politics, as viewed through the film's protagonist, Manuel Torres (Diego Calva), position Chazelle's behemoth vision closer to "The Last Black Man in San Francisco," "Medicine for Melancholy," and "Bamboozled" as an assimilation narrative affixed to a fable.
In Joe Talbot's "The Last Black Man in San Francisco," amid a gentrifying city selling the remnants of its Black heritage to the highest bidder, Jimmie Fails (played by...
- 12/29/2022
- by Robert Daniels
- Slash Film
Spike Jonze plays Otto Von Strassberger, Lukas Haas plays George Munn and Robert Clendenin (back) plays Otto’s Assistant Director in Babylon from Paramount Pictures.
LA LA Land director Damien Chazelle gives a different take on the movie industry with ‘s Babylon, focused on Hollywood pre- and post- the transition from silent films to sound, but as if that took place in an alternate reality partly in the 1920s and partly in the late 1970s, eras that share reputations for excess, partying and drugs, although the 1920s had much better clothes.
This tale of a wild silent-era Hollywood opens in 1926, according a title card, at the height of the Hollywood’s Babylon of partying excess and creative freedom and shortly before the debut of talking films brought the party to a halt. The opening sequence features an elephant as studio employee Manny Torres (Diego Calva) negotiating with someone hired to...
LA LA Land director Damien Chazelle gives a different take on the movie industry with ‘s Babylon, focused on Hollywood pre- and post- the transition from silent films to sound, but as if that took place in an alternate reality partly in the 1920s and partly in the late 1970s, eras that share reputations for excess, partying and drugs, although the 1920s had much better clothes.
This tale of a wild silent-era Hollywood opens in 1926, according a title card, at the height of the Hollywood’s Babylon of partying excess and creative freedom and shortly before the debut of talking films brought the party to a halt. The opening sequence features an elephant as studio employee Manny Torres (Diego Calva) negotiating with someone hired to...
- 12/23/2022
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Any movie with an opening sequence featuring a close-up of an elephant’s anus spraying diarrhea on hapless bystanders is certainly announcing itself as something, and by the end of the three hours and eight minutes of Damien Chazelle’s “Babylon,” viewers will have been exposed to any number of bodily secretions, including urine, vomit and tears.
The tears come at the film’s climax, no doubt in the hopes that the audience will follow suit, but of all the aforementioned emittances, they feel the least organic to this bloated, hyperbolized and ultimately dreary extravaganza of decadence and nostalgia.
Both a valentine and a poison-pen letter to the American film industry in its infancy, “Babylon” aspires to the grandiosity of “The Last Tycoon” and “The Day of the Locust,” though it more often recalls Ryan Murphy’s embarrassing and wildly ahistorical “Hollywood” miniseries.
Also Read:
‘Babylon': Margot Robbie and...
The tears come at the film’s climax, no doubt in the hopes that the audience will follow suit, but of all the aforementioned emittances, they feel the least organic to this bloated, hyperbolized and ultimately dreary extravaganza of decadence and nostalgia.
Both a valentine and a poison-pen letter to the American film industry in its infancy, “Babylon” aspires to the grandiosity of “The Last Tycoon” and “The Day of the Locust,” though it more often recalls Ryan Murphy’s embarrassing and wildly ahistorical “Hollywood” miniseries.
Also Read:
‘Babylon': Margot Robbie and...
- 12/16/2022
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
For almost 100 years, the motion picture academy has honored the best in film, but many times the winners aren’t always the best remembered, or the films that go on to become classics. At the 14th ceremony, “How Green Was My Valley” famously won Best Picture over “Citizen Kane,” now considered by most filmmakers, historians and cinephiles as the greatest movie ever made – and even those who disagree acknowledge its profound influence on the industry. Additionally, there were quite a few now-classic films and performances that either didn’t win, or were snubbed altogether. Let’s flashback 80 years ago to the 1942 Oscars ceremony.
SEE15 biggest Oscar Best Picture upsets, ranked
Hosted by Bob Hope, the ceremony took place on February 26, less than three months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and a month after beloved actress Carole Lombard was killed in a plane crash – while returning home after selling war bonds.
SEE15 biggest Oscar Best Picture upsets, ranked
Hosted by Bob Hope, the ceremony took place on February 26, less than three months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and a month after beloved actress Carole Lombard was killed in a plane crash – while returning home after selling war bonds.
- 1/27/2022
- by Susan Pennington
- Gold Derby
Sam Adams, a literary agent whose career began in the postwar years at Warner Bros. and ended with the deal to bring The Handmaid’s Tale to the big screen, has died, according to multiple reports. He was 94.
Adams’ client list included Handmaid’s author Margaret Atwood, the recently-deceased Peter Bogdanovich, Saturday Night Fever director John Badham, TV giant Stephen J. Cannell, Oscar-winner Alvin Sargent, Casablanca star Paul Henreid and Nobel laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer.
Adams got his start in Hollywood delivering messages at Warner Bros. while he was still at Beverly Hills High School. At Warners, he met the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Errol Flynn, Bette Davis and Edgar G. Robinson. His stint at the studio was interrupted by 18 months of active duty in the army.
After the war he turned to journalism, serving stints at the William Randolph Hearst-owned Los Angeles Examiner, the Armed Forces Radio Services,...
Adams’ client list included Handmaid’s author Margaret Atwood, the recently-deceased Peter Bogdanovich, Saturday Night Fever director John Badham, TV giant Stephen J. Cannell, Oscar-winner Alvin Sargent, Casablanca star Paul Henreid and Nobel laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer.
Adams got his start in Hollywood delivering messages at Warner Bros. while he was still at Beverly Hills High School. At Warners, he met the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Errol Flynn, Bette Davis and Edgar G. Robinson. His stint at the studio was interrupted by 18 months of active duty in the army.
After the war he turned to journalism, serving stints at the William Randolph Hearst-owned Los Angeles Examiner, the Armed Forces Radio Services,...
- 1/14/2022
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
If there's one thing I love more than a man who builds his career on very public melodrama, it's two men who build their careers on very public melodrama. For this reason, the ever-evolving lore around the making of "Citizen Kane" will always be like catnip to me. If you're reading this, you probably know that Orson Welles' 1941 drama "Citizen Kane" is widely considered one of the best films in cinematic history, despite recently losing its perfect Rotten Tomatoes score. But did you know the man "Kane" is based on, William Randolph Hearst, went to great and scandalous lengths to try to destroy Welles' reputation?
The post The Behind-the-Scenes Drama That Almost Kept Citizen Kane From Theaters appeared first on /Film.
The post The Behind-the-Scenes Drama That Almost Kept Citizen Kane From Theaters appeared first on /Film.
- 1/11/2022
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
All products and services featured by IndieWire are independently selected by IndieWire editors. However, IndieWire may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
“Citizen Kane” is being restored by the Criterion Collection in honor of the film’s 80th anniversary. Regarded as one of the greatest movies of all time, “Citizen Kane” follows the story of a reporter tasked with decoding the meaning of “Rosebud” — the final word uttered by Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) on his death bed. Kane, a fictitious newspaper mogul, was inspired by real-life tycoons William Randolph Hearst, Joseph Pulitzer, Samuel Insull, and Harold McCormick.
The Criterion edition of Welles’ 1941 feature film directorial debut will be released on November 23, but you can pre-order it now to make sure that you get a copy (in case they sell out during the Black Friday...
“Citizen Kane” is being restored by the Criterion Collection in honor of the film’s 80th anniversary. Regarded as one of the greatest movies of all time, “Citizen Kane” follows the story of a reporter tasked with decoding the meaning of “Rosebud” — the final word uttered by Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) on his death bed. Kane, a fictitious newspaper mogul, was inspired by real-life tycoons William Randolph Hearst, Joseph Pulitzer, Samuel Insull, and Harold McCormick.
The Criterion edition of Welles’ 1941 feature film directorial debut will be released on November 23, but you can pre-order it now to make sure that you get a copy (in case they sell out during the Black Friday...
- 11/4/2021
- by Latifah Muhammad
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman (Rain Man), Emmy nominee Sam Neill (Jurassic Park), BAFTA winner Eileen Atkins (The Crown), BAFTA winner Derek Jacobi (Gladiator), IFTA nominee Aidan Turner (The Hobbit), Endeavour star Roger Allam and Pitch Perfect star Brittany Snow are set to lead cast in feature comedy Mr. Shaw Goes To Hollywood, which is being launched for the TIFF market.
Set in 1933, the movie will chart how celebrated playwright, George Bernard Shaw (Jacobi), visited Hollywood with his formidable wife, Charlotte (Atkins). The idea of turning Shaw’s most successful play, Pygmalion, into a film was a hot topic of conversation as the great and the good of Hollywood vied for his attention, desperate to be part of the next big motion picture. How would the Irish-born writer and social reformer rub along with the Hollywood elite and, perhaps more importantly, did he have any intention of selling the rights...
Set in 1933, the movie will chart how celebrated playwright, George Bernard Shaw (Jacobi), visited Hollywood with his formidable wife, Charlotte (Atkins). The idea of turning Shaw’s most successful play, Pygmalion, into a film was a hot topic of conversation as the great and the good of Hollywood vied for his attention, desperate to be part of the next big motion picture. How would the Irish-born writer and social reformer rub along with the Hollywood elite and, perhaps more importantly, did he have any intention of selling the rights...
- 9/8/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Forbes Global Media, the business information brand that started with a 104-year-old magazine, is going public by merging with a Spac — or special purpose acquisition company — in a deal that values the company at $630 million.
The news hits amid a wave of digital media deals including a major one earlier today when German publisher Axel Springer announced it’s buying Politico.
Nextstar Media acquired The Hill last week. Vox Media, owner of The Verge and New York Magazine, is acquiring Punch, an outlet that covers drinks and cocktail culture, and is said to be eying an IPO. So is Vice.
Buzzfeed kicked off the frenzy in late June when it announced a Spac merger and acquisition of Complex Networks. Group Nine — parent of PopSugar, Thrillist, NowThis, The Dodo and Seeker — has created a Spac to pursue digital media deals.
Forbes — famous for its array of popular ‘rich lists’ that launched...
The news hits amid a wave of digital media deals including a major one earlier today when German publisher Axel Springer announced it’s buying Politico.
Nextstar Media acquired The Hill last week. Vox Media, owner of The Verge and New York Magazine, is acquiring Punch, an outlet that covers drinks and cocktail culture, and is said to be eying an IPO. So is Vice.
Buzzfeed kicked off the frenzy in late June when it announced a Spac merger and acquisition of Complex Networks. Group Nine — parent of PopSugar, Thrillist, NowThis, The Dodo and Seeker — has created a Spac to pursue digital media deals.
Forbes — famous for its array of popular ‘rich lists’ that launched...
- 8/26/2021
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
On Aug. 14, 1951, William Randolph Hearst, 88, lay dying in a gilded Mediterranean Revival mansion in Beverly Hills. Five years earlier — in declining health and with his reputation wounded by Citizen Kane — he agreed to move from his beloved Hearst Castle in San Simeon to Los Angeles to be closer to doctors.
Hearst’s longtime mistress, movie star Marion Davies, lost in a fog of alcoholism and sedatives, awoke that day to find that his deceased body had been removed without her knowledge. “Do you realize what they did?” she asked later. “They stole a possession ...
Hearst’s longtime mistress, movie star Marion Davies, lost in a fog of alcoholism and sedatives, awoke that day to find that his deceased body had been removed without her knowledge. “Do you realize what they did?” she asked later. “They stole a possession ...
- 6/26/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
On Aug. 14, 1951, William Randolph Hearst, 88, lay dying in a gilded Mediterranean Revival mansion in Beverly Hills. Five years earlier — in declining health and with his reputation wounded by Citizen Kane — he agreed to move from his beloved Hearst Castle in San Simeon to Los Angeles to be closer to doctors.
Hearst’s longtime mistress, movie star Marion Davies, lost in a fog of alcoholism and sedatives, awoke that day to find that his deceased body had been removed without her knowledge. “Do you realize what they did?” she asked later. “They stole a possession ...
Hearst’s longtime mistress, movie star Marion Davies, lost in a fog of alcoholism and sedatives, awoke that day to find that his deceased body had been removed without her knowledge. “Do you realize what they did?” she asked later. “They stole a possession ...
- 6/26/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Citizen Kane, perhaps best known as the movie that inspired Mank, is regarded by many as the best movie ever made, and for a while there, its Rotten Tomatoes score reflected that. The Orson Welles classic based loosely on the life of William Randolph Hearst was sitting at 100% on the review aggregation website, and it seemed like that would […]
The post An 80-Year-Old Review Just Ruined the Perfect ‘Citizen Kane’ Rotten Tomatoes Score appeared first on /Film.
The post An 80-Year-Old Review Just Ruined the Perfect ‘Citizen Kane’ Rotten Tomatoes Score appeared first on /Film.
- 4/27/2021
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
Netflix wrapped up the longest Oscar season in history by dominating the craft awards Sunday night, splitting four prizes between “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”, starring Oscar nominee Viola Davis as the trailblazing, ’20s blues singer, and David Fincher’s monochromatic “Mank,” (cinematography and production design), the biopic about Herman J. Mankiewicz’ frenzied scripting of “Citizen Kane.” Overlooked, though, was Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7.”
The two Oscars for “Ma Rainey’s” were expected for the bold and gritty verisimilitude demanded by Davis and supplied by 89-year-old costume designer Ann Roth (a two-time winner), makeup stylist Sergio Lopez Rivera, and hair stylists Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson (who made Oscar history as the first Black female winners from their category). They made her sexy and subversive with a flashy wardrobe, gold teeth, charcoal-like makeup, and a wig made of horsehair.
However, “Mank” cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt pulled his second...
The two Oscars for “Ma Rainey’s” were expected for the bold and gritty verisimilitude demanded by Davis and supplied by 89-year-old costume designer Ann Roth (a two-time winner), makeup stylist Sergio Lopez Rivera, and hair stylists Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson (who made Oscar history as the first Black female winners from their category). They made her sexy and subversive with a flashy wardrobe, gold teeth, charcoal-like makeup, and a wig made of horsehair.
However, “Mank” cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt pulled his second...
- 4/26/2021
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
At the 93rd Academy Awards, Mank‘s Erik Messerschmidt took home his first Oscar for Best Cinematography.
In his acceptance speech, he thanked director David Fincher “for creating an environment where we could do our best work,” expressing gratitude for the fact that he “got to go home and feel like I gave it my all, every night.”
He then thanked producer Ceán Chaffin for her “endless support,” screenwriter Eric Roth for his “guidance,” actors Amanda Seyfried and Gary Oldman and their fellow cast members “for hitting [their] marks,” as well as his collaborators in the camera department. “This really belongs to an extraordinary crew who I could not do anything without,” he said. “And thank you to my beautiful wife Naiara, who tolerates this crazy business and helped me get through this movie.”
While Messerschmidt had strong competition tonight in Nomadland‘s Joshua James Richards, he was also a top contender throughout awards season.
In his acceptance speech, he thanked director David Fincher “for creating an environment where we could do our best work,” expressing gratitude for the fact that he “got to go home and feel like I gave it my all, every night.”
He then thanked producer Ceán Chaffin for her “endless support,” screenwriter Eric Roth for his “guidance,” actors Amanda Seyfried and Gary Oldman and their fellow cast members “for hitting [their] marks,” as well as his collaborators in the camera department. “This really belongs to an extraordinary crew who I could not do anything without,” he said. “And thank you to my beautiful wife Naiara, who tolerates this crazy business and helped me get through this movie.”
While Messerschmidt had strong competition tonight in Nomadland‘s Joshua James Richards, he was also a top contender throughout awards season.
- 4/26/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Production designer Donald Graham Burt and set decorator Jan Pascale took home statuettes for their work on Mank, at the Academy Awards on Sunday.
The Oscar win was Burt’s second, following his triumph in 2008 with David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. A first-time winner, set decorator Pascale was previously nominated in 2006, for her work on George Clooney’s Good Night, and Good Luck.
While Burt didn’t give a speech, Pascale paid thanks to director David Fincher, producer Ceán Chaffin, and Burt “for trusting me with this amazing project.”
“It was such an honor to work with such an amazing group of people. Thank you to my crew, who worked their tails off on this just to make it right,” she said. “When I was young, I never realized that this was a career that was even a possibility. There were so many people who helped me along the way,...
The Oscar win was Burt’s second, following his triumph in 2008 with David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. A first-time winner, set decorator Pascale was previously nominated in 2006, for her work on George Clooney’s Good Night, and Good Luck.
While Burt didn’t give a speech, Pascale paid thanks to director David Fincher, producer Ceán Chaffin, and Burt “for trusting me with this amazing project.”
“It was such an honor to work with such an amazing group of people. Thank you to my crew, who worked their tails off on this just to make it right,” she said. “When I was young, I never realized that this was a career that was even a possibility. There were so many people who helped me along the way,...
- 4/26/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Chicago – The great Gary Oldman is a veteran actor who has created so many memorable roles that he’s his own Hall of Fame. His surprising turn as Herman Mankiewicz, the co-screenwriter with Orson Welles on “Citizen Kane” in “Mank,” is being honored by yet another Best Actor nomination in 2021 (his third with one win).
“Mank” follows Herman through the decade of the 1930s, when he hung out with William Randolph Hearst, the inspiration for Charles Foster Kane. His journey with Hearst and his crew, including the mogul’s mistress and notable actress Marion Davies, was the information gathering point for his contributions to the Kane script, whose main authorship is debated to this day. It’s a grand opera performance, with Mank being both a comic and tragic figure.
2021 Oscar Nominee Gary Oldman in the Spotlight for ‘Mank’
Photo credit: Netflix
Gary Oldman was born in London, studied acting...
“Mank” follows Herman through the decade of the 1930s, when he hung out with William Randolph Hearst, the inspiration for Charles Foster Kane. His journey with Hearst and his crew, including the mogul’s mistress and notable actress Marion Davies, was the information gathering point for his contributions to the Kane script, whose main authorship is debated to this day. It’s a grand opera performance, with Mank being both a comic and tragic figure.
2021 Oscar Nominee Gary Oldman in the Spotlight for ‘Mank’
Photo credit: Netflix
Gary Oldman was born in London, studied acting...
- 4/25/2021
- by [email protected] (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Production designers from the Oscar-nominated films “The Father,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Mank,” “News of the World” and “Tenet” are joining American Cinematheque for a virtual Q&a on Saturday at 1 p.m. Pt.
Sponsored by Variety, the online conversation will bring together production designers and set decorators from this year’s critically-acclaimed films to discuss their craft leading up to the Academy Awards on April 25.
The panel will feature Donald Graham Burt and Jan Pascale from “Mank”; Mark Ricker, Karen O’Hara and Diana Stoughton from “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”; David Crank and Elizabeth Keenan from “News of the World”; Nathan Crowley and Kathy Lucas from “Tenet”; and Peter Francis and Cathy Featherstone from “The Father.” Pascale and Thomas A. Walsh will moderate.
All five films are nominated for best production design at this year’s Oscars. Two of the films, “Mank” and “The Father,” are also nominated for best picture,...
Sponsored by Variety, the online conversation will bring together production designers and set decorators from this year’s critically-acclaimed films to discuss their craft leading up to the Academy Awards on April 25.
The panel will feature Donald Graham Burt and Jan Pascale from “Mank”; Mark Ricker, Karen O’Hara and Diana Stoughton from “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”; David Crank and Elizabeth Keenan from “News of the World”; Nathan Crowley and Kathy Lucas from “Tenet”; and Peter Francis and Cathy Featherstone from “The Father.” Pascale and Thomas A. Walsh will moderate.
All five films are nominated for best production design at this year’s Oscars. Two of the films, “Mank” and “The Father,” are also nominated for best picture,...
- 4/23/2021
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
After a long career as a reliable familiar face in genre films, Amanda Seyfried has finally become a major awards contender for her performance in David Fincher’s Hollywood period piece “Mank.” Seyfried, who got her start as one of the mean girls in 2004’s “Mean Girls,” has appeared in everything from rom-coms (“Letters to Juliet”) to musicals (“Mamma Mia!”) to cult horror films (“Jennifer’s Body”), but “Mank” is a major step-up for the actress that earned her her first Oscar nomination.
In the Best Supporting Actress category, Seyfried competes against Glenn Close (“Hillbilly Elegy”), Olivia Colman (“The Father”), Maria Bakalova (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”) and Yuh-Jung Youn (“Minari”). Youn and Bakalova are the other first-time nominees, while Close and Colman are Oscar veterans. Colman previously won for Best Actress in 2019, while Close’s eight nominations has her tied with Peter O’Toole for most nominations without a win.
Seyfried portrays the doe-eyed Hollywood starlet Marion Davies,...
In the Best Supporting Actress category, Seyfried competes against Glenn Close (“Hillbilly Elegy”), Olivia Colman (“The Father”), Maria Bakalova (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”) and Yuh-Jung Youn (“Minari”). Youn and Bakalova are the other first-time nominees, while Close and Colman are Oscar veterans. Colman previously won for Best Actress in 2019, while Close’s eight nominations has her tied with Peter O’Toole for most nominations without a win.
Seyfried portrays the doe-eyed Hollywood starlet Marion Davies,...
- 4/22/2021
- by Zach Moore
- Gold Derby
Much like Citizen Kane itself, Mank could easily have been twice as long, at least. Clocking in at 131 minutes, David Fincher's black and white homage to old Hollywood focuses on the 60 days given to the brilliant, often besotted and infamously prickly scribe Herman J. Mankiewicz to churn out the script for Orson Welles' feature directorial debut. Those scenes of genius at war with itself are interspersed with behind-the-scenes studio politicking, actual politicking (left vs. right is not new) and Mankiewicz's conflicted friendship with Marion Davies, the longtime companion of publishing titan William Randolph Hearst, who was the fairly obvious...
- 4/22/2021
- E! Online
This season’s Oscar race for production design pits David Fincher’s mighty black-and-white “Mank” (the Adg period winner) against Florian Zeller’s mind-bending “The Father,” Christopher Nolan’s time-inverted “Tenet” (the Adg fantasy winner), Paul Greengrass’ first western, “News of the World,” and the sweltering Chicago period trappings of George C. Wolfe’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”
“Mank” is the favorite for meticulously recreating the world of washed up, alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman), who struggles to churn out a first draft of “Citizen Kane.” Oscar-winning production designer Don Burt (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) had to think in terms of black-and-white design to authentically return to Hollywood’s Golden Age in the ’30s. Fortunately, set decorator Jan Pascale used the monochromatic filter on her iPhone for shooting set dressing tests, and that helped shape the palette of warm earth tones. Unable to shoot at the...
“Mank” is the favorite for meticulously recreating the world of washed up, alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman), who struggles to churn out a first draft of “Citizen Kane.” Oscar-winning production designer Don Burt (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) had to think in terms of black-and-white design to authentically return to Hollywood’s Golden Age in the ’30s. Fortunately, set decorator Jan Pascale used the monochromatic filter on her iPhone for shooting set dressing tests, and that helped shape the palette of warm earth tones. Unable to shoot at the...
- 4/20/2021
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
With final Oscar ballots in Academy voters’ hands as of April 15, we’re moving forward with our fourth annual series of interviews with Academy voters from different branches for their candid thoughts on what got picked, overlooked, and overvalued in this odd pandemic year.
Producer #1:
One of the best things to come out of this challenging awards season has been the Academy Screening Room portal. It’s easy access and works perfectly. No need for screener DVDs! We’re missing the theaters for now, but we are saving the planet from DVD waste! Next: the trades online only, please!
The nominations were not shocking. A few surprises in the Best Actor/Actress categories, as there were performances of equal or greater merit that were left out, including Delroy Lindo in “Da 5 Bloods.”
I’m disappointed this year with Best Picture: not because an eligible film was overlooked, but...
Producer #1:
One of the best things to come out of this challenging awards season has been the Academy Screening Room portal. It’s easy access and works perfectly. No need for screener DVDs! We’re missing the theaters for now, but we are saving the planet from DVD waste! Next: the trades online only, please!
The nominations were not shocking. A few surprises in the Best Actor/Actress categories, as there were performances of equal or greater merit that were left out, including Delroy Lindo in “Da 5 Bloods.”
I’m disappointed this year with Best Picture: not because an eligible film was overlooked, but...
- 4/19/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
There’s an extraordinary level of craftsmanship among this year’s nominees for the Cinema Audio Society Awards, which recognizes outstanding accomplishments in sound mixing, a collaborative discipline that requires sound editors, re-recording mixers, Foley and Adr artistry to work together to create a finished product.
Seven categories will be recognized this year across from live action features to specials and post-production, and the nominees include awards season stalwarts such as “Mank,” “News of the World,” “Soul” and “News of the World,” “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” “Sound of Metal” and “Onward.”
As previously announced, George Clooney will receive the Cas filmmaker award and production sound mixer William B. Kaplan will be the Cas career achievement honoree.
“2020 was wrought with unprecedented challenges, yet the nominees of the 57th Annual Cas Awards display a stellar example of quality and creativity that rivals any of our previous years. This year’s...
Seven categories will be recognized this year across from live action features to specials and post-production, and the nominees include awards season stalwarts such as “Mank,” “News of the World,” “Soul” and “News of the World,” “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” “Sound of Metal” and “Onward.”
As previously announced, George Clooney will receive the Cas filmmaker award and production sound mixer William B. Kaplan will be the Cas career achievement honoree.
“2020 was wrought with unprecedented challenges, yet the nominees of the 57th Annual Cas Awards display a stellar example of quality and creativity that rivals any of our previous years. This year’s...
- 4/15/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Even after scoring 10 Oscar nominations, the most of any film this year, pundits still felt like David Fincher‘s “Mank” under-performed thanks to snubs in categories like Best Film Editing and Best Original Screenplay. But there’s an interesting aspect to the snubbing of the screenplay that hasn’t been talked about that much. It’s the fact that the brief scene that takes place during the 14th Academy Awards omits one of the craziest events in Oscar history.
SEEWhat are the Best Picture nominees? 2021 Oscars Best Picture predictions
Towards the end of the movie, we see the Oscar ceremony honoring the films of 1941 taking place inside the Biltmore Hotel and the award for Best Original Screenplay is presented to Herman “Mank” Mankiewicz and Orson Welles for “Citizen Kane.” The audience reacts with applause as the president of Rko Pictures goes to the stage to accept the honor. Except, that...
SEEWhat are the Best Picture nominees? 2021 Oscars Best Picture predictions
Towards the end of the movie, we see the Oscar ceremony honoring the films of 1941 taking place inside the Biltmore Hotel and the award for Best Original Screenplay is presented to Herman “Mank” Mankiewicz and Orson Welles for “Citizen Kane.” The audience reacts with applause as the president of Rko Pictures goes to the stage to accept the honor. Except, that...
- 4/10/2021
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
David Fincher’s “Mank” looks to be the frontrunner in the production design Oscar race. Production designer Donald Graham Burt and set designer Jan Pascale have each scored one previous nomination in this category. Burt won for 2008’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”
However, “Mank” goes up against Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet,” for which production designer Nathan Crowley earned an Oscar nomination. Nolan is renowned for his in-camera effects and did not want to fake the thrilling action here. He pulled out all the stops, as did Crowley.
Will the members of this branch favor the lavish sets of Old Hollywood, or will Crowley triumph for the grand vision of “Tenet”?
The other contenders opt for simplicity in detail, but tell an important story — “The Father’s” sets were integral to the storytelling surrounding the main character, a dementia patient who grapples
with what is real, what isn’t?...
However, “Mank” goes up against Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet,” for which production designer Nathan Crowley earned an Oscar nomination. Nolan is renowned for his in-camera effects and did not want to fake the thrilling action here. He pulled out all the stops, as did Crowley.
Will the members of this branch favor the lavish sets of Old Hollywood, or will Crowley triumph for the grand vision of “Tenet”?
The other contenders opt for simplicity in detail, but tell an important story — “The Father’s” sets were integral to the storytelling surrounding the main character, a dementia patient who grapples
with what is real, what isn’t?...
- 4/10/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
David Fincher’s “Mank” leads all Oscar craft nominations with six. And yet its greatest chance of a win rests with Don Burt’s meticulous production design of the iconic Hearst Castle and San Simeon compound. However, since he was working in black-and-white with set decorator Jan Pascale — his co-nominee — it was more advantageous to capture the spirit of William Randolph Hearst’s opulent retreat than trying to replicate it. For one thing, the colors would get lost, and, for another, they’d still be struggling to recreate all of the detail.
“Hearst Castle felt like something Hearst [Charles Dance] built as his Xanadu [from ‘Citizen Kane’], and now it’s maintained more like a theme park,” said Burt, who actually didn’t visit the landmark since they couldn’t shoot there. But he referenced plenty of images and studied its architecture and interior design along with the beautiful landscaping of San Simeon.
“Hearst Castle felt like something Hearst [Charles Dance] built as his Xanadu [from ‘Citizen Kane’], and now it’s maintained more like a theme park,” said Burt, who actually didn’t visit the landmark since they couldn’t shoot there. But he referenced plenty of images and studied its architecture and interior design along with the beautiful landscaping of San Simeon.
- 4/7/2021
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Legendary movie star, Last Call‘s Bruce Dern, joins Josh and Joe to discuss a few of his favorite movies and moments.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Cowboys (1972)
Last Call (2021)
Silent Running (1972)
The Long Goodbye (1973)
The Reivers (1969)
The War Wagon (1967)
Support Your Local Sheriff (1969)
The Shootist (1976)
Sands Of Iwo Jima (1949)
Wild River (1960)
Viva Zapata (1952)
Castle Keep (1969)
The Big Knife (1955)
Attack (1956)
What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (1962)
Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)
Suspicion (1941)
Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
The Great Gatsby (1974)
Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
Ben-Hur (1959)
The Trial (1962)
Great Expectations (1946)
The Sound Barrier (1952)
Oliver Twist (1948)
The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)
Rko 281 (1999)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Mank (2020)
The Chase (1966)
The Formula (1980)
Shine (1996)
All That Jazz (1979)
A Decade Under The Influence (2003)
Shane (1953)
The Sons Of Katie Elder (1965)
The King Of Marvin Gardens (1972)
Deliverance (1972)
Nebraska (2013)
Twixt (2011)
The ’Burbs (1989)
About Schmidt (2002)
Sideways (2004)
The Descendants (2011)
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
Charade (1963)
The Truth About Charlie...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
The Cowboys (1972)
Last Call (2021)
Silent Running (1972)
The Long Goodbye (1973)
The Reivers (1969)
The War Wagon (1967)
Support Your Local Sheriff (1969)
The Shootist (1976)
Sands Of Iwo Jima (1949)
Wild River (1960)
Viva Zapata (1952)
Castle Keep (1969)
The Big Knife (1955)
Attack (1956)
What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (1962)
Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964)
Suspicion (1941)
Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
The Great Gatsby (1974)
Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
Ben-Hur (1959)
The Trial (1962)
Great Expectations (1946)
The Sound Barrier (1952)
Oliver Twist (1948)
The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)
Rko 281 (1999)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Mank (2020)
The Chase (1966)
The Formula (1980)
Shine (1996)
All That Jazz (1979)
A Decade Under The Influence (2003)
Shane (1953)
The Sons Of Katie Elder (1965)
The King Of Marvin Gardens (1972)
Deliverance (1972)
Nebraska (2013)
Twixt (2011)
The ’Burbs (1989)
About Schmidt (2002)
Sideways (2004)
The Descendants (2011)
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
Charade (1963)
The Truth About Charlie...
- 4/6/2021
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
No movie received more Oscar nominations in 2021 than David Fincher’s “Mank,” a Hollywood throwback about Herman Mankiewicz (Best Actor nominee Gary Oldman), Marion Davies (Best Supporting Actress nominee Amanda Seyfried), and the writing process behind Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane.” With 10 total nominations — including Best Picture, Best Director for Fincher, Best Actor for Oldman, Best Supporting Actress for Seyfried, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Hair & Makeup, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, and Best Score — the lavish black-and-white Netflix film is just the 96th feature in Academy Awards history to receive double-digit citations and the second-most lauded Fincher effort behind only “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”
With a project comprised of so many academy-endorsed contributions, it might be difficult to imagine one single scene representing the sum of the whole. But nestled within the complex structure of Jack Fincher’s time-hopping screenplay is a...
With a project comprised of so many academy-endorsed contributions, it might be difficult to imagine one single scene representing the sum of the whole. But nestled within the complex structure of Jack Fincher’s time-hopping screenplay is a...
- 3/30/2021
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
One of the biggest challenges Mank production designer Donald Graham Burt — recently nominated for an Oscar for his work — faced was that the production was not granted access to Hearst Castle on California’s Central Coast. But interiors and exteriors of William Randolph Hearst’s extravagant estate were needed for key scenes in director David Fincher’s biopic about screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz, played by Gary Oldman, during the period in which he wrote the screenplay for Orson Welles’ 1941 classic, Citizen Kane.
So, with the real San Simeon off-limits, Burt went about designing elaborate sets at Los Angeles Center Studios ...
So, with the real San Simeon off-limits, Burt went about designing elaborate sets at Los Angeles Center Studios ...
- 3/25/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
One of the biggest challenges Mank production designer Donald Graham Burt — recently nominated for an Oscar for his work — faced was that the production was not granted access to Hearst Castle on California’s Central Coast. But interiors and exteriors of William Randolph Hearst’s extravagant estate were needed for key scenes in director David Fincher’s biopic about screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz, played by Gary Oldman, during the period in which he wrote the screenplay for Orson Welles’ 1941 classic, Citizen Kane.
So, with the real San Simeon off-limits, Burt went about designing elaborate sets at Los Angeles Center Studios ...
So, with the real San Simeon off-limits, Burt went about designing elaborate sets at Los Angeles Center Studios ...
- 3/25/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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